2010 Wisconsin gubernatorial election
The 2010 Wisconsin gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 2010, to elect the governor and [Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin|lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin|governor of Wisconsin]. The primary elections on September 14 determined which candidates advanced to the general election.
Incumbent Democratic governor Jim Doyle did not seek re-election in 2010, making for the first open gubernatorial election in Wisconsin since 1982. Republican nominee Scott Walker, the Milwaukee County Executive, defeated Democratic nominee Tom Barrett, the mayor of Milwaukee. As of 2022, this was the last gubernatorial election in which a Republican gubernatorial candidate carried La Crosse and Columbia counties, and the last in which a Democratic candidate carried Trempealeau County.
Democratic primary
Governor
Candidates
- Tom Barrett, Mayor of Milwaukee and former U.S. Representative and candidate in 2002
- Tim John
Failed to qualify
- Jared Gary Christiansen
- Dominic Reinwand
Lieutenant governor
Candidates
- Spencer Coggs, state senator from Milwaukee and former state representative for 20 years.
- Tom Nelson, Democratic Majority Leader in the Wisconsin State Assembly, member since 2005 representing Outagamie County.
- Henry Sanders
- James L. Schneider
Republican primary
Governor
Candidates
- Mark Neumann, former U.S. Representative and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 1998
- Scott S. Paterick
- Scott Walker, Milwaukee County Executive and candidate in 2006
Failed to qualify
- William "Bill" Ingram, truck driver and write-in candidate for President of the United States in 2008
- John Schless
Lieutenant governor
Candidates
- Brett Davis, state representative from Oregon, Wisconsin.
- Rebecca Kleefisch, former WISN-TV morning anchor and frequent on-air contributor to Charlie Sykes' radio show on WTMJ (AM).
- Robert Gerald Lorge
- Dave Ross, Mayor of Superior, Wisconsin
- Nick Voegeli
Libertarian primary
Governor
There were no qualified candidates in the Libertarian gubernatorial primary.Lieutenant governor
Candidates
- Terry Virgil
Independent nominations
Candidates
- Jim Langer
- James James
Failed to qualify
- Michael J. Blinkwitz